Glastonbury has banned one popular makeup - so we found some great alternatives

Daily Mirror

25-06-2025

This year Glastonbury Festival has banned attendees from using glitter makeup, but don't despair, because we found some glitter-free alternatives to create your festival beauty look
If you're packing your bags for this year's Glastonbury Festival, there's one thing you should be leaving out – glitter. The organisers have banned all glitter makeup from being brought into the festival (including biodegradable types!), which means you may have to re-think those sparkly beauty looks you had planned.
Whilst you are allowed to buy biodegradable glitter from vendors once you're actually inside Worthy Farm, if you want to plan your makeup looks accordingly it might be time to think of a beauty plan B. So we've tracked down the best metallic looks that'll get you in the Glasto spirit without a hint of glitter in sight.
Sephora Collection Colorful Special Effects Multichrome Liquid Eyeshadow - £15.99
It doesn't get more metallic than these multichrome liquid eyeshadows from Sephora. The creamy texture and precise tip means you can apply them as a sharp cat eye, blend them out into a smudgy shadow or use them to create patterns and designs on your skin.
They also last up to 12 hours without smudging, which as anyone who's ever been to a festival knows, is a godsend. Choose from three different shades, and give yourself unlimited beauty looks with one handy product.
Violette FR Yeux Paint - £33
If you prefer a solid monochromatic look, Violette FR's Yeux Paints are a must-buy. There are eight metallic shades to choose from, and you can also pick up a matte shade that matches, letting you create infinite different looks.
They have a lightweight, buildable and blendable formula, and are crease-, smudge- and fade-proof, so they'll last through hours of dancing. You can use them for a subtle wash of colour, to create sharp, precise liner looks, or blend them into soft smokey eyes. And the best part is you don't even need a brush to apply them.
E.l.f Duochrome Liquid Eyeshadow - £8
For anyone wanting to top up their festival beauty bag on a budget, E.l.f's Duochrome Liquid Eyeshadows are perfect. There's a choice of four different shades which suit all skin tones, and each one is highly pigmented and has a metallic swatch of colour which shifts colour in the light.
The long-lasting gel-based formula should see you through hours of dancing whilst still feeling comfortable to wear, and you can use them to create a whole host of different multi-dimensional beauty looks that are perfect for festival season.
Glisten Cosmetics UV IT! Clear UV Eyeliner – £8.50
Maria Mukaranda, Beauty Editor at Cosmetify, also suggested that UV eyeliner is a great way to give your makeup that festival-inspired look without the glitter. The neon liner shows up under ultraviolet light – which there will be plenty of around Glasto – and brings an unexpected twist to your eye makeup.
You can mix it with your existing liner to add an extra element to your go-to makeup, or keep it clear and create everything from bold graphic liner to UV-activated freckles. To use it you just dip your liner brush in water and swirl it in the product, before applying it wherever you want to glow under the lights.